Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for managing storage devices in a storage subsystem having an array of storage devices, the method comprising: receiving an error message; determining that the error message indicates that at least one storage device in the array of storage devices has failed; collecting an array record comprising storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to the determining that the error message indicates that the at least one storage device has failed; collating a candidate record comprising a plurality of candidate entries, wherein each candidate entry comprises storage device characteristics for one of a plurality of candidate storage devices; comparing storage device characteristics of the failed storage device of the array record with the storage device characteristics of each of the candidate entries; identifying a first candidate storage device having storage device characteristics that match the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to identifying a candidate entry that matches the storage device of the array record; identifying a second candidate storage device having storage device characteristics most similar to the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to not identifying a candidate entry that matches the failed storage device of the array record; comparing the array record with the candidate entries of a third candidate storage device and either the first or second candidate storage device; and exchanging either the first or second candidate storage device with the third candidate storage device in response to determining that the third candidate storage device has storage device characteristics that are more similar to the storage device characteristics of the array of storage devices than the first or second candidate storage device.
A method for managing storage devices in a RAID system involves detecting a failed drive, collecting its characteristics (capacity, type, speed, etc.), and comparing these against a list of candidate replacement drives. If an exact match is found (first candidate), it's chosen. If not, the most similar drive (second candidate) is chosen. A third drive is compared to the failed drive's characteristics against either the first or second candidate, and the closest of first/second and third candidate is used for replacement.. Finally, the system swaps either the first or second candidate drive with a third candidate drive if the third drive is determined to be a better match for the array's characteristics than the initially selected candidate.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage device characteristics comprise at least one of: storage device capacity; storage device type; storage device bandwidth; storage device speed; storage device input/output group; storage device chain identification; storage device enclosure identification; and storage device slot identification.
In the storage device management method described, the "storage device characteristics" used for matching and comparison include any combination of the following: storage capacity, storage type (e.g., SSD, HDD), storage bandwidth, storage speed (e.g., RPM, IOPS), input/output group, chain identification within the system, enclosure identification (physical location), and slot identification within the enclosure.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , comprising exchanging the failed storage device with the first candidate storage device in response to identifying that the first candidate storage device has storage device characteristics that match the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device or exchanging the failed storage device with the second candidate storage device in response to identifying that the second candidate storage device has storage device characteristics most similar to the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device.
In the storage device management method, if a candidate drive with matching characteristics to the failed drive is found (first candidate), the failed drive is replaced with this matching drive. Otherwise, if no exact match is found and the most similar drive (second candidate) is selected, then the failed drive is replaced with the second candidate drive.
4. The method as recited in claim 3 , further comprising concurrently copying data from one or more storage devices of the array of storage devices onto either the first, second, or third candidate storage device.
Following the replacement of a failed drive with either the first, second, or third candidate drive as described, the system initiates a concurrent data copying process. Data is copied from the remaining drives in the RAID array onto the newly installed replacement drive (either the first, second, or third candidate), rebuilding the array's redundancy and restoring full data availability. This data copying occurs in parallel with normal system operations.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the comparing is performed by a processor.
The comparison of storage device characteristics between the failed drive and the candidate replacement drives, as described in the storage device management method, is performed by a processor (CPU). The processor executes software instructions to analyze and compare the collected data.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising outputting an identity of at least one of the identified candidate storage devices.
After identifying the best candidate replacement drive (either the first, second, or third), the system outputs the identity of the selected candidate. This output could be a log message, a display on a management console, or a signal to an automated system, indicating which drive has been chosen for replacement.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: adding a candidate entry comprising storage device characteristics associated with either the first or second candidate storage device to the candidate record, receiving an update message indicating that the plurality of candidate storage devices comprises either the first or second candidate storage device in response to exchanging the failed storage device with either the first or second candidate storage device.
After a failed drive is replaced with a first or second candidate, its information is added to the candidate record. The system also receives an update message confirming the first or second drive is now part of the candidate storage devices. This update message acknowledges the replacement of the failed drive with the first or second candidate.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , comprising: exchanging the failed storage device with the first candidate storage device in response to identifying that the first candidate storage device has storage device characteristics that match the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device or exchanging the failed storage device with the second candidate storage device in response to identifying that the second candidate storage device has storage device characteristics most similar to the storage device characteristics of the faded storage device.
In the storage device management method, if a candidate drive with matching characteristics to the failed drive is found (first candidate), the failed drive is replaced with this matching drive. Otherwise, if no exact match is found and the most similar drive (second candidate) is selected, then the failed drive is replaced with the second candidate drive.
9. A method for managing storage devices in a storage subsystem having an array of storage devices, the method comprising: receiving an error message; determining that the error message indicates that at least one storage device in the array of storage devices has failed; collecting an array record comprising storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to the determining that the error message indicates that the at least one storage device has failed; collating a candidate record comprising a plurality of candidate entries, wherein each candidate entry comprises storage device characteristics for one of a plurality of candidate storage devices; comparing storage device characteristics of the failed storage device of the array record with the storage device characteristics of each of the candidate entries; identifying a first candidate storage device having storage device characteristics that match the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to identifying a candidate entry that matches the storage device of the array record; identifying a second candidate storage device having storage device characteristics most similar to the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to not identifying a candidate entry that matches the failed storage device of the array record; exchanging the failed storage device with the first candidate storage device in response to identifying that the first candidate storage device has storage device characteristics that match the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device or exchanging the failed storage device with the second candidate storage device in response to identifying that the second candidate storage device has storage device characteristics most similar to the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device; adding a candidate entry comprising storage device characteristics associated with either the first or second candidate storage device to the candidate record, receiving an update message indicating that the plurality of candidate storage devices comprises either the first or second candidate storage device in response to exchanging the failed storage device with either the first or second candidate storage device; comparing the array record with the candidate entries of a third candidate storage device and either the first or second candidate storage device; and exchanging either the first or second candidate storage device with the third candidate storage device in response to determining that the third candidate storage device has storage device characteristics that are more similar to the storage device characteristics of the array of storage devices than the first or second candidate storage device.
A method for managing storage devices in a RAID system involves detecting a failed drive, collecting its characteristics, and comparing them against a list of candidate replacements. If an exact match is found (first candidate), it's chosen. If not, the most similar drive (second candidate) is chosen and replace the failed drive with either the first or second candidate. After the replacement, the system adds the candidate to the list, receives an update message to confirm the swap, and a third drive is then compared with both the array characteristics and the characteristics of first/second candidate; the closest of first/second and third candidate is chosen for replacement.
10. A method for managing storage devices in a storage subsystem having an array of storage devices, the method comprising: receiving an error message; determining that the error message indicates that at least one storage device in the array of storage devices has failed; collecting an array record comprising storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to the determining that the error message indicates that the at least one storage device has failed; collating a candidate record comprising a plurality of candidate entries, wherein each candidate entry comprises storage device characteristics for one of a plurality of candidate storage devices; comparing storage device characteristics of the failed storage device of the array record with the storage device characteristics of each of the candidate entries; identifying a first candidate storage device having storage device characteristics that match the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to identifying a candidate entry that matches the storage device of the array record; identifying a second candidate storage device having storage device characteristics most similar to the storage device characteristics of the failed storage device in response to not identifying a candidate entry that matches the failed storage device of the array record; comparing the array record with a candidate entry of a third candidate storage device and a candidate entry of either the first candidate storage device or the second candidate storage device; exchanging either the first or second candidate storage device with the third candidate storage device in response to determining that the third candidate storage device has more similar storage device characteristics to the storage device characteristics of the array of storage devices than the first or second candidate storage device; and concurrently copying data from the array of storage devices onto either the first, second, or third candidate storage device.
A method for managing storage devices in a RAID system involves detecting a failed drive, collecting its characteristics, and comparing them against a list of candidate replacements. If an exact match is found (first candidate), it's chosen. If not, the most similar drive (second candidate) is chosen. A third candidate is compared to the array and either first or second candidate device characteristics, the closest one is chosen for replacement. Data is then concurrently copied from the array to either the first, second, or third candidate drive.
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September 2, 2014
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